DRSS Celebrates Vectren Day!

6th grade students ask questions of Vectren Representatives during their Engineering Enrichment course.

Kettering, OH - On Thursday, April 20, 2017, DRSS Representatives Kirk Barrett (Conservation Representative), David Lowe (Gas Distribution Engineer), Teresa Smith (Mechanical Engineer), and Rachel Goodspeed (Community Affairs) came to celebrate our first annual Vectren Day at DRSS. Their visit comes as part of the the school's partnership with Vectren, known as the "DRSS Engineering Career Tech Pathway Powered by Vectren," which kicked off at the start of the 2016-17 school year.

The day began with a talk to Ms. Reilly's Environmental Engineering class. Mr. Barrett provided students with an overview of its energy conservation program, and how and why Vectren seeks to help homes and businesses become more energy efficient through a variety of incentive programs. Following his presentation, Mr. Lowe and Ms. Smith joined him on a panel to answer questions.

Mr. Barrett provides students with an overview of what Vectren does and what programs he works on.

The students had many questions, ranging from energy efficiency to the impact of government regulations on the energy industry, all of which the Vectren representatives were happy to discuss.

At the end of their Q&A session, Mr. Barrett gave the students some advice for when they're considering where to go to college, telling them to ask themselves, "Does the school you're applying to have a co-op program? That's a question you should ask, especially in Engineering."

Mr. Lowe answers questions during the Q&A portion of their visit with the Environmental Engineering class.

When talking about how he ended up doing what he's doing now, he added, "Sometimes it's the little decisions you make and contacts you have along the way that make the big differences in your career, and you never know where your career is going to take you."

After speaking to the high school students, the Vectren representatives visited the 6th grade Engineering Enrichment course to talk to those students about what they do and the tools they use to do their jobs.

Students had many questions for them, asking them about everything from what they need to do to get into a career in Engineering to what they like most about their jobs.

"I've done everything at Vectren all the way from crawling around in boilers to working on a computer, and I love them both," Ms. Smith explained when asked about what her job looks like on a day to day basis.

"I like problem-solving, because that's really what Engineering is, and I get a chance to use my brain to dig into a problem and figure it out," Ms. Smith answered in response to a question about her favorite part of her job. "I've done everything from driving a bulldozer to designing a power plant during my time at Vectren," Ms. Smith told the students.

Mr. Lowe and Mr. Barrett demonstrate some of the tools they use on a daily basis to help them perform their jobs.

"I helped design the infrastructure that goes into Scene 75," explained Mr. Lowe. "It's fun because you get to do the whole thing on the projects we work on, from the design and specifications to talking directly with the customers about any special design needs they may have."

Engineering teacher, Kathryn Reilly was grateful for their visit, noting, "It's a great opportunity for our students to hear from real-life engineers about the kinds of projects they're working on. It gives students a concrete picture of what their career could look like if they decide to pursue a career in Engineering."

Vectren's not just a gas company, they are a great community partner as well! Thank you to Vectren for powering our bright future!